Resource management concept

Abstract

Resource management such as network radio resource management in wireless networks, is described in connection with different aspects.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A device for managing network resources, comprising a micro processor configured to, or a computer programmed to, allocate network resources to user devices depending on a media content description relating to a media content transferred over the network resources from a server to a client with one of the server and the client operating at one of the user devices,
 wherein the device is further configured to 
 check whether the media content description indicates an availability of a version of the media content, which has a lower minimum bandwidth associated therewith as a version of the media content, currently downloaded by the client via the network resources, wherein the device is configured to perform the allocation of the network resources to the user devices dependent on as to whether such a version having a lower minimum bandwidth associated therewith is present or absent, and 
 perform the allocation of the network resources to the user devices dependent on as to whether such a version having a lower minimum bandwidth associated therewith is present or absent such that the network resources allocated to the one user device are more likely—related to equal probability among possible states of remaining parameters depending on which the device allocates the network resources—to be lower in case of the version having a lower minimum bandwidth associated therewith being present, than compared to the case of the version having a lower minimum bandwidth associated therewith being absent. 
 
     
     
       2. A device for managing network resources, comprising a micro processor configured to, or a computer programmed to, allocate network resources to user devices depending on a media content description relating to a media content transferred over the network resources from a server to a client with one of the server and the client operating at one of the user devices,
 wherein the device is further configured to 
 check whether the media content description indicates an availability of a version of the media content, which has a higher minimum bandwidth associated therewith as a version of the media content, currently downloaded by the client via the network resources, wherein the device is configured to perform the allocation of the network resources to the user devices dependent on as to whether such a version having a higher minimum bandwidth associated therewith is present or absent and 
 perform the allocation of the network resources to the user devices dependent on as to whether such a version having a higher minimum bandwidth associated therewith is present or absent such that the network resources allocated to the one user device are more likely—related to equal probability among possible states of remaining parameters depending on which the device allocates the network resources—to be higher in case of the version having a higher minimum bandwidth associated therewith being present, than compared to the case of the version having higher minimum bandwidth associated therewith being absent. 
 
     
     
       3. The device according to  claim 2 , wherein the device is configured to allocate download network resources to the user devices depending on the media content description, with the client operating at the one of the user devices. 
     
     
       4. The device according to  claim 2 , wherein the device is configured to allocate uplink network resources to the user devices depending on the media content description, wherein the server operates at the one of the user devices. 
     
     
       5. The device according to  claim 2 , further configured to survey the data traffic from the server to the client so as to acquire the media content description. 
     
     
       6. The device according to  claim 2 , further configured to receive the media content description from the user device. 
     
     
       7. The device according to  claim 2 , wherein the media content description comprises, for each version of the media content available at the server for being streamed to the client, a quality measure and a minimum bandwidth of the versions of the media content. 
     
     
       8. The device according to  claim 2 , further configured to check whether the media content description indicates an availability of a version of the media content, which has a lower minimum bandwidth associated therewith as a version of the media content, currently downloaded by the client via the network resources, wherein the device is configured to perform the allocation of the network resources to the user devices dependent on as to whether such a version having a lower minimum bandwidth associated therewith is present or absent. 
     
     
       9. The device according to  claim 2 , further configured to perform the allocation of the network resources to the user devices based on one or more of
 a number of user devices to which the network resources have to be allocated, 
 a sort of communication data to be exchanged between the user devices and third parties over the network resources, 
 user profiles assigned to the user devices, the profiles defining a priority ranking among the user devices, 
 channel quality feedback from the user devices, and 
 channel rate requests from the user devices. 
 
     
     
       10. The device according to  claim 2 , further configured to, in allocating the network resources to the user devices, adjust one or more of
 subcarriers, 
 time slots, and 
 a spatial coverage of at least one base station's cell, 
 depending on the media presentation content description. 
 
     
     
       11. The device according to  claim 2 , further configured to, if the clients of more than one of the user devices to which the network resources are allocated, are currently downloading respective media content via the network resources, perform the assignment of the network resources to the more than one user devices depending on a respective media content description describing the respective media content transferred over the network resources from a respective server to the respective client such that a cost function is optimized which, at least, depends a quality measure and a minimum bandwidth of the versions for each media content of the clients. 
     
     
       12. The device according to  claim 2 , further configured to determine a throughput measure for a received media throughput of the client and predict from the determined throughput measure as to which version of the media content out of the media presentation content description, is currently downloaded by the client via the network resources. 
     
     
       13. The device according to  claim 2 , further configured to determine a throughput measure for a received media throughput of the client and perform the assignment depending on the determined throughput measure. 
     
     
       14. The device according  claim 12 , further configured to one of
 use an allocated network resource bandwidth as the throughput measure, estimate the throughout measure from the allocated network resource bandwidth by way of an evaluation of a quality feedback from the user device, or 
 receive the throughout measure from the user device. 
 
     
     
       15. The device according to  claim 2 , further configured to determine a version of the media content out of the media content description, which is currently downloaded by the client via the network resources, by inspecting a media request from the client to the server. 
     
     
       16. The device according to  claim 2 , further configured to log a history of versions of the media content requested by the client and further use the history in order to decide on increasing an amount of network resources allocated to the client in case a demand for the network resources decreases. 
     
     
       17. A method for managing network resources, comprising
 allocating network resources to user devices depending on a media content description relating to a media content transferred over the network devices from a server to a client with one of the server and the client operating at one of the user devices, 
 checking whether the media content description indicates an availability of a version of the media content, which has a higher minimum bandwidth associated therewith as a version of the media content, currently downloaded by the client via the network resources, wherein the allocation of the network resources to the user devices is performed dependent on as to whether such a version having a higher minimum bandwidth associated therewith is present or absent, and 
 performing the allocation of the network resources to the user devices dependent on as to whether such a version having a higher minimum bandwidth associated therewith is present or absent such that the network resources allocated to the one user device are more likely—related to equal probability among possible states of remaining parameters depending on which the device allocates the network resources—to be higher in case of the version having a higher minimum bandwidth associated therewith being present, than compared to the case of the version having higher minimum bandwidth associated therewith being absent. 
 
     
     
       18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer program comprising a program code for performing, when running on a computer, the method according to  claim 17 .